If this doesn't draw you in, I don't know what will |
If
we want to evangelize well, we have to be like bacon.
Whew,
I’m glad I got that off my chest.
I’m
serious though. Who doesn’t love
bacon? In it exists my two aspects
of my favorite foods. It’s fried. It’s salty. Mmm, the crispiness, the juxtaposition with the eggs and
toast or rice (yes, I’m Filipino).
Just the experience of making bacon is one of my all-time favorite
things to do. I developed a ritual
in Costa Rica that has continued to almost every weekend back in the states,
where I’ll take one of the Saturday or Sunday mornings and make a hot
breakfast. I’ll pop in “Ben
Harper” Pandora station, and I’ll let the sizzling of bacon make the rest of
the music. There’s nothing like
the wafting smell of bacon in the air, drawing anyone within a mile radius to
the kitchen. After flipping the
bacon and putting it aside on a towel-covered plate, I’ll drain the oil,
leaving a little bit to cook my eggs in, usually a fried, sunny side up. Salt, pepper, cover that baby up with a
lid. Boom, there’s nothing like
it.
You
may be asking, “OK, we get it, Matt, you have a weird infatuation with bacon,
but how is it like evangelization again?”
Ah, I’m glad you asked. I
believed we’re called to be like bacon in three ways. Here we go:
#1: Bacon is authentically
good in all things
No matter what bacon is in, it always makes the meal
better. What would make that egg
and biscuit better? Bacon. What
about that cheeseburger? Bacon. That lettuce, tomato, and bread? Bacon. Catholic comedian Jim Gaffigan even jokes that Kevin Bacon’s
name must have helped with his acting career. The point is, bacon is the same goodness whether it’s in the
morning with pancakes or wrapping your shrimp at a cocktail dinner.
The
same has to be for us. If we call
ourselves Christians, we have to be authentically Christian in all aspects of
our life---not just during church, but throughout our entire week. We used to have a saying in my college
brotherhood, Esto Vir, that a man who
kneels at the pew must be the same man who sits at the bar stool. Meaning, we can’t be praying one way at
church, then living another when we think no one is looking. Hypocrisy kills the image of a
Christian.
#2: Bacon draws
people to itself by its natural sizzle
The
smell and sizzle of bacon will wake up anyone who wants to sleep in. I know it did for my housemates two
years ago when they’d come strolling into my breakfast magic. Bacon draws people in just by being
bacon. Think about the people in
your life that you enjoy being around or spending time with. Perhaps it’s their smile, their sense
of peace or joy, or the feeling that you can be yourself and relax around them. And where does that come from?
Jesuit
Fr. James Martin says we can answer that question by asking another one, “Think
about the most joyful person that you know. Now, also think about the holiest person that you know. Is it not the same person?” When I heard him say that I thought about
my mom in both instances. I am
convinced it’s her joy, sprouted from her holiness and love for God, that makes
people drawn to her.
Even
if you don’t believe in “holiness,” think about the most attractive people in
your life. Not, “oh, whoa she’s
hot” kind of attractive, but that intangible attractive “I-want-to-bring-her-home-to-my-mother”
attractiveness. There’s a certain
“goodness” about that woman, isn’t there?
Why do so many young women find seminarians attractive? Is it their hair? Some may not know it, but I
believe it has to do with their goodness, their holiness, and love for God that
draws them.
When
Mary, the Mother of Jesus, visits Elizabeth, her cousin instantly knows that
Jesus is (literally) within her. A
piece of her (John within her womb) even leaps for joy. We may not all be on a second trimester
with the Son of Man, but Jesus can be within us. Can people tell?
Do we make others leap for joy when we visit them? Or are we as Pope Francis recently
described in his Joy of the Gospel,
the Catholic that looks like we just came from a funeral?
#3: Bacon draws
people in, but it’s not the full meal.
What will really fill us up |
In
fact, I just listened to a talk that’s about a married women who wishes her
husband would be more into prayer.
She was trying for years until she finally heard from God, “This would
go a lot faster if you got out of the
way.” She responded by not
preaching to him and talking about Church anymore. Instead, she continued to love him fervently and treated him
well despite his continuous apathy, even teasing. Two years later, her husband came around to prayer, and their
marriage became more joyful and stronger than ever.
One last note…
Bacon is
sacrificial.
There
was once a chicken and a pig who lived on a farm together. The farmer treated
both really well. In return, the
two wanted to do something nice for him.
The
chicken said, “Let’s make him breakfast.”
“That
sounds good,” replied the pig.
“Oh,
I heard he loves eggs and bacon!” said the chicken. “What do you think?”
The
pig stepped back. “Easy for you to
say. While you’re making a
contribution, I’m making a real commitment!”
When
it comes to being authentically Catholic, I say we’ve got to be like pigs in
this case ---we’re all in. Ever
met a lukewarm person? Someone who
does things half-(butt), puts in a little bit of work, the
could’ve-dove-for-the-ball but didn’t.
How attractive are they?
And
at the end of the day, isn’t it worth to give our all for the Man who literally
gave His entire all for us?
Be
authentically bacon. Sizzle and draw
people in. Give people a taste of
the real goodness. And in
the end, the sacrifice we make will never compare to His.
Amén.
Good sir, this is fantastic.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Praise God!
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